


His Wasteland Flower

by Fatty Batty (Sephi902)



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Action & Romance, Alien Character(s), Alien Sex, Aliens, Awakening Love, Awkward Crush, Awkward Romance, Awkward Sexual Situations, Biting, Claws, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, Dragon Ball Z - Freeform, F/M, Falling In Love, Fighting, Illusions, Interspecies Romance, Love, Love Confessions, Magic, Manga & Anime, Martial Arts, Mentor/Protégé, Namekian, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, POV Third Person, Prosthetics, Sexual Tension, Sharing Body Heat, Tails, Teacher-Student Relationship, Teeth, Training Camp, bio-android
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-19
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:02:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 12,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24785863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephi902/pseuds/Fatty%20Batty
Summary: Long stretches of peace get Piccolo tense. He's finished teaching his latest student and trains alone for whatever might break the silence. He wasn't expecting the break to be a new student crashing in unannounced.I was going to make this an X reader, but I wanted a break from them. Maybe next time.
Relationships: Piccolo (Dragon Ball)/OC, Piccolo (Dragon Ball)/Original Character(s), Piccolo (Dragon Ball)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 16





	1. Unannounced

Crisp wind carrying the scent of winter whipped Piccolo’s cape behind him. He was deep in meditation, silent and stoic. Once the air had settled, his cape dangled beneath him. His legs were folded as he floated a good few feet off the ground. Another breeze came through the valley, with it was a powerful ki that snapped Piccolo from his focus. He looked over the horizon where the force burned and planted his feet in the dirt.

This ki wasn’t familiar to him and it seemed like it was stagnant far in the distance. He gritted his teeth in a faint grimace and elected to ignore it. He had to stop meditating anyway, he was going to miss his plans. He turned towards the city and shot off into the air.

Piccolo landed outside Goku’s place and rapped on the door.

“I could be training...,” he grumbled under breath to himself. The door opened, his friend beaming at him with open arms and bright eyes.

“Piccolo! We thought you weren’t going to make it.” Goku laughed, trapping him in a hug. Piccolo bristled but withstood the short torment. He gave Goku a quick greeting and stepped in after him. The whole gang was gathered in the home. Streamers and decorations dangled on the walls in soft, baby hues. Piccolo furrowed his brow, this custom was starting to lose him.

“What is this again?” He asked.

“It’s Goten’s birthday,” Goku chuckled as he leaned over, “he really wanted you to come.” Piccolo nodded slightly and folded his arms. Chi-chi sat with Goten in her lap, giving a somewhat wary smile to Piccolo. The hum of chatter warmed the air. Each pair stuck close together and hung on each other lovingly. Piccolo grimaced faintly to himself and rested against the wall. There wasn’t much for him here. He felt a tug on his cape and glanced down. Goten smiled up at him.

“Are you ready Mr. Piccolo?” He asked. Piccolo raised his brow.

“For what?”

“To fight daddy! And uncle Vegeta and Gohan and-and-and please!” Goten got so excited he lost all train of thought and just started bouncing around.

“Ah, I see. Of course, I’m ready.” Piccolo chuckled. Goten cheered and raced over to his father and brother. They were led outside by the rambunctious child. The rest of the party followed soon after. They all loved a good fight. Even if they tried to prevent them. Once outside, they all shot off into the air to find a more appropriate place to have their match. The air was even more chilled now.

The wasteland near Piccolo’s home was the perfect arena for a friendly brawl. Spacious and devoid of civilization. Everyone landed on the grass, the spectators remaining a safe distance away from the challengers. Goku and Gohan did some stretches. Vegeta was boasting to deaf ears. Piccolo cracked his knuckles and silently hoped this would keep his mind off the strange ki he sensed earlier.

“Who’s up first?” Goku shouted as he caught his fist.

“I’m taking you on, Kakarot!” Vegeta cried, squaring up Goku immediately. Gohan and Piccolo had no arguments so they stepped aside and gave the two space.

“Who are you betting on?” Gohan muttered with laughter in his voice.

“I’m going with the obvious,” Piccolo answered, shrugging.

Pleasantries were done swiftly. The two Saiyans launched at each other in the blink of an eye. Vegeta threw a dozen swift fists. Each was met with a skillful block and a kick to the side. Goku caught Vegeta’s hand and kneed him in the gut. Vegeta buckled slightly, leaping away and firing several ki blasts in his fury. Goku dodged the volley and swung his leg at Vegeta’s head. Vegeta caught it with ease and threw Goku into the dirt.

Piccolo found it hard to focus on the match. He forced his gaze to follow the two swift fighters, but his mind was on a different burning worry.

Vegeta delivered a heavy blow to Goku’s face and left a dark bruise. Goku kicked Vegeta away and prepped a Kamehameha. Vegeta attempted to escape into the air, but Goku let it rip into the sky. It missed Vegeta by a mile. His mocking laugh was cut short by a sharp scream a distance away. Everyone turned to find an unfortunate soul dropping out of the sky and landing on the earth with a limp, loud thud. They all stiffened a moment in shock before racing off to find the victim.

“Did you bring some first aid with you?” Bulma asked Chi-chi. She shook her head and repeated the question among the group. No one had brought anything. Piccolo was the first to land beside the shallow crater.

Their body was covered in wounds and burns. A lengthy tail draped over their legs in their collapsed state.

“Who is this?” He muttered to himself as he knelt beside them. If they had any ki before it was virtually impossible to detect now. Piccolo pressed his fingers against their flesh. _‘Still alive...’_

“How’s it looking?” Videl asked softly.

“We need to get them help. Fast.”


	2. Consequences

Pain erupting throughout her body was the last thing Tarine could remember. She woke with a start and stared at the ceiling with her eyes wide. Her body was wrapped in bandages and rendered immobile. She was beginning to hyperventilate, eyes darting around the unfamiliar room as her fear built.

 _‘Where am I? What happened? Who did this? Help... ’_ Tarine’s mind raced but no words reached her mouth. Though a rancid taste caught her waking tongue. _‘blech..?’_

The door clicked open. Her eyes snapped to the new person. A cape hid most of his form, but his skin was such an eye-catching green. A turban rested atop his head in the same shade of white as his cape. Tarine blinked, watching him approach the bed. He easily towered over her. Her eyes traced up the large form.

 _‘Ooh... tall...’_ was her only thought.

“You’re awake.” He noted. His voice was so low Tarine could almost feel it in her bones. She stayed silent, attempting to sit up, her jaw set tight. She was awful lopsided on her rise. The man placed a hand on her shoulder and laid her back down.

“Not yet. We need to check your wounds first.” He stated, leaving the room. Tarine furrowed her brow.

“We?”

More people filed into the room, surrounding the bed. Tarine pulled the thin covers up to her face with her only responsive hand. The many worried faces and wide eyes peered at her with overlapping questions. She pulled her tail around her leg and shrunk away from them.

“We need to give her some space, back up.” A stern woman barked, pushing the men of the group out of the room despite their protests. She returned to the bedside and tossed her blue hair over her shoulder, “alright. How are you feeling?”

“Confused,” Tarine answered.

“Makes sense... How about we start with introductions? I’m Bulma.” She said with a smile. The other two women stepped forward and offered calm, reassuring grins. Both were dark brunettes.

“I’m Videl.” The kind one waved.

“And I’m Chi-chi.” The annoyed one nodded.

Tarine looked between them all and slowly lowered her blanket. She relaxed a small bit. Her shoulders unbunched. Her tail slipped from around her leg and slumped back onto the floor beside the bed. There was a silence as they stared at it. Only for a moment.

“I’m called Tarine.” She nodded. Bulma unwrapped Tarine’s shoulders and arms, tossing the bandages aside. Once her body was completely unbandaged, she looked over the miraculously healed flesh. Bulma was unfazed, but Tarine was increasingly lost with every new sight. Tarine flexed her hands, but she couldn’t feel anything in her left hand. Curious, she looked over at where it was. It was...

“Where the hell is my hand!?” Tarine screeched, gripping the nub at the end of her elbow and reeling. The women flinched. They tried to hush and calm her, but their attempts didn’t get very far. She didn’t want to hear it. Tarine’s long ears flattened against her skull, her tail lashing, “what happened? What did you do to me!?”

“Calm down! We can get it back!” Chi-chi cried.

“Or I can make you a replacement!” Bulma added. Tarine shook her head and covered her face. She was starting to fume, but these people were helping her. She didn’t want to take her growing fury out on them. After a few tense moments, Tarine took a breath and pushed her lengthy lavender bangs aside.

“Please tell me what happened...” She requested in a low voice, her downcast eyes flickering over her shortened appendage. Tension tingled in the air, but the bated breaths were released. The door was shoved open. A male stepped in, his hair dark and spiked wildly. He waved and approached the bed. Chi-chi gave him a glare and waved him away.

“Goku! Don’t barge in!” She chastised.

“Sorry, that was my fault. We didn’t think there was anyone else out there.” He nervously laughed, offering a short and embarrassed bow. Tarine could read the sincerity on his face, but it wasn’t going to be forgiven so easily.

“... It’ll take a lot more than that for me to forgive you.” She muttered as she clenched her fist.

“We can get you a new arm, or we can give you your old one back.” He offered. Tarine folded her legs and arm, tilting her head as she mulled it over. Her ears flicked slightly and her tail stopped lashing, relaxing on the bed beside her beneath the covers. The humans awaited her answer, though Goku was starting to get impatient and jitter a bit.

“Fine... I’ll take a replacement. Please...” Tarine finally decided. _‘As if I weren’t a freak enough as is...’_ She sighed internally.

“Great! I’ll just need to get y-” Bulma started.

“But! People are so powerful here. I want one of you strong guys to train me.” She added. Goku slanted his mouth and nodded, going out to the rest of the group. Chi-chi followed after him, her face red. Shouting sounded immediately as the door shut causing Tarine’s ears to fall flat in irritation. Bulma started measuring and messing with Tarine’s limb. Tarine remained still as she worked. She watched the door, curious who would aid her.

“Alright, I’ll get the materials I need and we can fix up a new arm in a few days,” Bulma said as she stood, “you can get out of bed if you’d like. Meet everyone else.” Tarine nodded in silence. She hesitated, trembling slightly. The blanket slid off her as she dangled her legs over the edge. Her padded feet touched the cold tile sending a shiver up her spine. Three sharp nails clicked on the tile and she stood to her full height. She glanced down at her shredded clothing and pursed her lips. Tarine was met with eyes and silence upon leaving the room. She frowned and gave a small wave.

“Hey, ahh... what was your name again?” Goku asked.

“Tarine.” She said.

“Right. We haven’t introduced ourselves yet either.” He smiled and went through the line-up. Tarine glanced over them. Human, human, human, most of them were humans. Then he finally addressed the tall, green inhuman. He had a stern look, very mature and wise. Tarine found it hard to meet his eye.

“Alright, who’s willing to teach me?” She asked as she cleared her throat. They all looked incredibly powerful causing her to coil her tail on her leg. Whoever would decide to teach her would really pack a punch. She had a lot to learn.


	3. Reluctance

“We’ll get back to you on that…” Gohan said with a slight sweat. Vegeta folded his arms, glaring at the obviously out of place woman. She gripped her side. Her wounds were healed but her clothing was still torn and stained.

“Alright… I’ll be back then.” She shrunk a bit under the harsh gaze. Piccolo turned his face away from her and continued their conversation while she stepped away to let them decide. Vegeta frowned and watched her leave before continuing.

“Surely Goku should take this burden. He was the one who damaged her.” He huffed. Goku shook his head.

“No, I’m busy with my own training. And Gohan is busy with Videl and Goten.” Goku said, gesturing between himself and his son.

“We don’t even know what she is or what she can achieve.” Piccolo sighed.

“But we owe her,” Goku said.

“ _You_ owe her.” Vegeta corrected. Goku wouldn’t budge on his point. Vegeta and Piccolo grumbled. It was left to the two of them. They glanced at each other and locked in silent debate. Their sharp glares could cut stone. Jaws tightened. Veins defined on their brow with effort. The women left to take care of their own devices casting a curious look at the pair. To answer, Goku gave a simple shrug.

“Fine, I’ll do it.” Piccolo sighed, rubbing his temple. Vegeta chuckled with his usual air of arrogance.

“Hopefully she’s a fast learner?” Gohan offered. Piccolo nodded but didn’t add anything to the sentiment. The group split. The party was a bust and Goten was less than happy about it. They’d have to make it up to him later, or rather his parents would have to. Piccolo walked the halls of the Briefs home looking for the rouge woman. He couldn’t pinpoint her ki anywhere and began to wonder what exactly she was. She didn’t look like any creature he had heard of. Her timid tail, however, gave him the bitter taste of familiarity. Piccolo paused and scanned his surroundings. He was near the garden. Tarine sat within, looking at the flowers so meticulously cared for.

Piccolo stepped up behind her without alerting her. Her clawed fingers grazed the silk petals of the flowers. She was careful not to harm the delicate things. He watched her for a moment. A small crest with pointed horns stuck out from her curtain of lavender hair. Piccolo shook his head and escaped his thoughts. There is a matter at hand, but he couldn’t help the bad feeling that lingered.

“Hey!” Piccolo sharply snapped. Tarine flinched, her tail sweeping at his legs as she stood. Not expecting the swipe, he tripped and staggered backward. She moved away from the flowers and pulled all her limbs close to her body to keep herself in check. Her tail wrapped around her leg. Her body was stiff as she stood at attention.

“Oh, I-I’m so sorry.” She said in a small squeak. Piccolo took a short breath and gathered his nerves.

“No matter. We’ve decided you will be training with me.” He informed her as he folded his arms. Piccolo glanced at her burns. They almost blended in on her skin, “when you get your arm.” He added. Tarine hesitated before offering a respectful and short bow.

“Right. I’m excited to train under you,” she straightened and raised a brow, “do I call you Master or something?” She laughed a bit, tilting her head. Piccolo frowned which put a stop to Tarine’s laughter altogether. She looked away and cleared her throat. Humour wasn’t going to get her very far.

“Just Piccolo,” he turned to leave the garden, “until then you can get to know everyone. You’ll probably be seeing a lot of them.” Piccolo returned to the halls. He had no more business here. Not until she was prepared to fully commit to her training. Piccolo tightened his jaw, _‘Goku, you really owe me for this.’_

Morning in the valley was extremely chilled. Frost rested on the grass. Light ice dusting the ground beneath Piccolo as he meditated in his usual cross-legged, floating state. The air was still despite the cold. The ki far in the distance hadn’t made its appearance since yesterday. He was relieved it was gone, though he continued to dwell on it.

After a full morning meditation, Piccolo stretched and decided to check on Tarine’s status. The sooner they got started, the sooner they’d be done. He rolled his neck and shot off towards the city. The frost ran until the city limits where there was little vegetation to cling to. There weren’t many people milling below until he reached his destination.

Tarine was testing out her arm on the nearby trees. Her rags were replaced with a dark crop top and a pair of baggy pants. She moved slowly, entirely unsure of her attacks. That would have to be ironed out first. Piccolo landed and looked her over as he approached. She was fighting but he couldn’t read any ki on her. An android perhaps? But she appeared organic when she was injured. Her ear flicked as she glanced at him. Lowering her arms and straightening her back.

“Didn’t expect you here so early…” She said.

“Early? This is nothing. You’ll begin training before the sun rises on a regular basis,” Piccolo said, studying the tree she abused. The bark was cracked, but it was otherwise unharmed, “looks like we have a long way to go.” Tarine followed his gaze and pursed her lips.

“Yeah, I can’t get used to this thing…” She muttered. Her hand whirred quietly as the fingers bent and stretched. The exposed metal shone in the sunlight rather conspicuously and the fingers were filed to dangerous needle points. It was a certified weapon. Surprising, coming from Bulma. Tarine pocketed her hands and stared at her feet.

“We’ll have to work on that while we go through basics. Let’s go.” He said, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Tarine’s tail grazed the dirt as she nodded. He took the lead and rose into the air, waiting only a moment for Tarine to follow him to the valley.


	4. Basics

Tarine panted and spat blood onto the grass. She knew training would be difficult, but she hadn’t expected an outright beating the first day. She balled her fists and bounced her weight from foot to foot. Piccolo held his stance with a sharp glare. He kept himself suppressed. She wasn’t worth any more power than that. He was motionless and calm. Tarine grit her teeth, tail lashing.

“You’re open all over. You need to fix your stance. Lower your center of gravity.” Piccolo informed. Tarine gave a short nod and bent a bit lower, still shifting rhythmically. She kept a tempo, mid-paced and tight. 

“Close enough. Come at me.” He decided. Tarine raced at him, throwing a punch for his face. Piccolo caught it with ease and jammed his elbow into her gut. She grunted and gritted her teeth, staggering backward. Tarine clawed Piccolo’s gi but failed to reach his flesh. He swatted her away and took a calm step aside escaping a wild kick in her retaliation. 

“I’m not sure I can even call this sparring anymore.” Piccolo hummed. He ducked a fist and punched her gut. She coughed and dropped to her knees.

“O-ow…” Tarine whined. Piccolo shook his head and rubbed his temple. 

“I keep underestimating how long this will take…” He said to himself. Tarine growled softly. She forced herself back to her feet and held the throbbing pain in her gut. She gave it one more go. Leaping at him and twisting in the air to slam her tail into him. He caught it and threw her to the dirt. She clamped her claws on his wrist and dug into him. Tarine gave a breathless triumphant laugh. Her only connecting attack was able to draw blood. However, she celebrated too soon. Piccolo used her grip against her, swinging her into the cliff face. Her body left a heavy crater in the side of the mountain. Her head was swimming. She didn’t realize Earth had such strong warriors. Her jaw tightened as she realized this may have been a mistake.

“It was one match, you can’t give up on this so soon,” Piccolo said, placing a hand on her shoulder and mending her clothes. Tarine flinched with her eyes wide. She snapped her attention to him and swallowed the lump in her throat.

“H-how did-?” 

“It’s an ability of mine,” he answered without allowing her to finish, “rest up and we’ll start again. I won’t go easy on you for very long.” Piccolo gave her some space. Leaving for someplace else while Tarine remained behind. She watched him vanish over the mountain range. Her body felt heavy. She looked at her claws and clenched them, grimacing. She could fend for herself, but when it came to actual combat she was hopeless. Tarine raised her face to the sky. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Once she gathered her nerves she took her fighting stance. Swift kicks lashed through the air. Fists buried into the rock. Debris scattered at her feet, her tail sweeping it away. She punched into the mountain until she carved out a small nook. Her knuckles cracked as she flexed them, a grumble sticking in her throat.

“I thought I was stronger than this…” She sighed. Tarine held her hand and studied the knuckles. Blood started to well around the small pebbles stuck in the broken flesh. She shook her hand out and sucked a sharp breath through her teeth. She turned to the sheer drop in the other direction and sat on the very edge. The view of the full valley glistened in the noon light. Sparse vegetation, wide-open spaces, a lazily passing river. 

Shortly, Piccolo returned. He landed behind Tarine and dropped something that immediately burst into a full, built home with a weird popping sound. The sound startled Tarine, making her whip around to the source. 

“Woah, what is this?” She asked, walking up to it and looking in the window. It showed a small living area with a kitchen and a table. _A house out of nothing? What is this place?_ Piccolo folded his arms and stepped back from it.

“I borrowed a capsule home from Bulma. It’s where you’ll be staying until we’re finished.” He explained. Tarine entered the little house and poked her nose into all of the cupboards and rooms. She got herself familiar with the new living quarters before leaning out the door.

“Where are you staying?” She asked.

“Don’t worry about me.” He coldly replied. Tarine slanted her mouth and leaned against the door.

“Fine, well, thank you anyway.” She said, turning her face away. Piccolo grunted and returned to the clearing, studying the sun.

“Let’s continue your training,” he pointed to the distance, the river’s source at the top of a far off mountain, “Reach that point without flying.” Tarine stood beside him and looked out to the goal, shrugging.

“Alright, I guess.” She jumped down the cliff, floating to stall her fall and land safely. Before she could reach the earth, a massive weight caught her shoulders and caused her to careen the remaining distance and crash. Piccolo floated over her head and smirked faintly to himself.

“And you have to keep those weights on.” He added.

Tarine grunted and pushed herself up, wobbling and teetering. She finally caught her balance. The weights were covered in white cloth draping down to her knees. A cape just like his. She glared up at him in silence. Piccolo left her to her test. A quiet chuckle catching Tarine’s ears. She flicked her tail angrily, stiffening it when her balance started to wane. Her legs trudged slowly. Bent terribly at the knees. The weight kept her from raising her arms. At this angle, the forest appeared insanely vast. Walls of brown and green rarely shifted as she advanced.

_‘Dumb asshole… this is insanely unfair.’_ Tarine grumbled in her mind. She looked at the sky to see if her mentor was watching. He wasn’t visible, at least for now. Tarine took a moment to press against a tree and get the weights to catch on the wood. They lifted only slightly, but it was bliss nonetheless. A small breather was all she needed. Satisfied, she let the weights drop on her again, but now they felt almost 10 pounds heavier. She squeaked in fear. She grabbed the tree with her tail to stay upright. Punishment, of course. She gritted her teeth and continued to trudge on with the added annoyance.


	5. Dawn

Piccolo frowned, casting more weight on her shoulders when she lifted her burden… again. Her drive for momentary relief was only going to slow down her progress. He shook his head. She had better learn that lesson fast or she’ll never get to the lake before she’s crushed under the mounting weight. He kept an eye on her, getting more irritated every time her incredulous “ **COME ON!** ” echoed in the forest.

The night fell swiftly. Piccolo stood on the cliff of the lake and looked down on Tarine as she struggled to climb. Almost 100 lbs on her shoulders, 10x more than she started with. She was in reach of the ledge. Her trembling hand gripped the rock at Piccolo’s feet, knuckles white at her effort to pull herself up.

“M-made it!” She barked through clenched teeth. Piccolo raised an eyebrow and let out a heavy breath.

“You would have made it here faster if you didn’t ignore the rules.” He sighed.  Tarine attempted to throw her leg over the edge, using her tail to push her weight further up. Piccolo stepped back as she rolled onto the dirt in front of him. She thrust her arms into the air with a weak cry of triumph. She panted and reached out to his legs, punching his shin as hard as she could muster. There wasn’t much strength left in her reservoir. Piccolo smirked. Her feeble attempts at defiance were amusing.

“I’m here… aren’t I?” She huffed, pushing herself to her feet and tossing the weights into the river. He folded his arms and looked up at the sky. Stars twinkled overhead, the moon full and beautifully bright. He thinks a moment and floats off the ground away from the winded woman. She rubbed her neck and rolled her shoulders, too sore to ask what he was planning.

“We’re going to spar. Airborne only.” He said finally. Tarine groaned, lowering her head and hanging her arms.

“Dammit…” She sighed. Shakily, she rose into the air as well. Her energy was almost entirely depleted by the climb. She couldn’t tell how long she’d last flying, let alone fighting. Piccolo kept his muscles loose. He watched her lift her fists, her ragged body having a hard time holding up. Tarine groaned and gritted her teeth, searching him for a place to strike first. She charged him and threw a punch for his face, whiffing completely and lagging past him. Tarine’s tail wavered as she tried to retain balance. She attempted to strike again, but her arm wouldn’t raise.

“Are you seriously that tired?” He asked, watching her falter and crash to the dirt. Piccolo sighed and landed beside her, kneeling to check her breathing. He pulled her into his arms and flew back to the capsule home. Piccolo was all too used to weak students crashing in the middle of training. He laid Tarine in the bed and quietly shut the door behind him. He shook his head and walked to his own abode. The longer, down to Earth route wound through the valley. His cape danced in the wind, entering his peripheral and plastering itself to his back.

Piccolo kept his eyes forward. Moonlight illuminated the rocks surrounding him giving everything a celestial blue tint. The cold breeze rushed past him with several snowflakes peppering the air. Visible fog clouded his view with each calm breath. His mind kept drifting to his student. The young woman was a mystery. Unknown origin, uncommon fighting style. To make matters worse, he couldn’t read any ki from her whatsoever. He had nothing to gauge, nothing to benchmark. It was going to be a challenge. 

The home came into view finally. He stepped through the small garden, watching the river reflect the moonlight for a moment before entering his home and setting his cape on a dresser. It was a comfort to be home with the weights lifted. He sat on his thin, barebones bed and breathed a long sigh of relief, rubbing his neck. The cool air was bliss on his sweaty neck. He wiped his brow and laid in the sheets. As much as he tried to avoid the thought, he was stuck on the vanishing ki and the appearing woman. They had to be connected. However it remained, she was progressing too slowly for his liking. He shook his head and attempted to shut down for the night. There would be no more slacking off.

Piccolo wasted no time. The second dawn hit he was at Tarine’s temporary abode, shoving the door open. The place was bathed in the breaking light. The combo kitchen/living room was empty of life. Piccolo paused at her bedroom door, gripping the doorknob. His long time on Earth let him know women preferred privacy in these kinds of rooms. He raised his hand to knock instead, grumbling quietly to himself. He didn’t need these trivial hang-ups.

“Tarine. Get up.” He called, placing a hand on his hip. His keen ears picked up the shuffling of a groggy body fighting against the remnants of sleep. She never answered. Instead, she remained silent before opening the door, leaning on it with one arm, using that bicep as a pillow.

“Please let me sleep…” She mumbled, fighting a yawn and losing. She stretches while Piccolo shakes his head. 

“We need to get moving. Come on.”

“Alright, just gimme a sec.” She cracks her neck and shakes herself out, stepping past him and out of the home. He raised his brow and stood in the doorway, watching as she walked to the creek and knelt beside it. He was about to question it when she dunked her head into the freezing water and breached just as quickly with a howl of surprise and discomfort. Piccolo raced over, confused more than anything.

“Why the hell did you do that?” He barked, unsure of what to do. Tarine shook her hair, water flying everywhere.

“To wake up. I’m ready.” She said through shivers. Piccolo grimaced. There wasn’t much time though, so he moved on. He raised into the air, arms folded and weighted clothes heavy on his shoulders.

“We’re starting with the airborne spar you messed up last night.” He stated simply. Tarine nodded, flying up and immediately throwing punches at him. They weren’t hard to dodge, her tells were far too obvious. He refrained from retaliating. Instead, he swiftly moved around her strikes in silence, watching her intently. 

“Are you even trying?” 

“Will you be mad?” She floated back a bit, dropping her arms. Piccolo gave her a harsh glare in answer, “hm, well the answer is yes. But less effort is going into the fighting if I’m flying. Doing both at once and constantly is draining.”

“Then you need to be fighting smart. Use your energy wisely. This won’t end until you hit me.” He said, more bite to his tone than the night before. Tarine frowned, raining more punches on him without landing any. His ducking was faster than she could even attempt going. She pelted kicks and tailwhips on a mirror image he produced. As it vanished she whipped around looking for him. He was above her, watching her fling useless attacks at more mirages. At this rate, she was never going to hit him. Piccolo groaned internally, dragging a hand over his head. Tarine finally caught on. Piccolo had his guard down and she was willing to exploit it. Before he returned full attention to her, a flying uppercut caught his chin. He grabbed her arm and held her in place.

“Uh… gotcha?” She said, nervous and struggling to reclaim her arm.

“Hm,” Piccolo let her go, rubbing his chin, “so you did. You can land now.” Tarine smiled and landed on the dirt. It seemed she wasn’t too tired anymore as she leaped and bounded in triumph. He smirked faintly. It wasn’t what he planned, but she was beginning to catch on.


	6. Abilities

Tarine was thankful for her tail. Any balance based task was several times easier with her extra appendage. She stood atop the trees with several weights on her legs, expected not to fly. Her limbs ached where the weights were attached but she was determined to see that ghost of an expression on her mentor once more. 

The leaves rustled around her, causing her to tense and dart her gaze. It was coming. From where was the question. Her ears twitched and attempted to pinpoint the source. Claws flew towards her scattering leaves in its wake. She slapped it away with her tail and attempted to charge ki and blast. Instead, it burst in her hands and singed them. She yelped and blew on the burns on her flesh. Her metal hand didn’t feel a thing. Another thing she could be thankful for, despite how much it made her stand out.

“It seems the metal is making it harder to focus your ki.” Piccolo’s voice came from below, hidden by the fiery leaves. Tarine nodded, still shaking her hand.

“Try once more. Attempt to hit me before I attack.” 

“Roger. Point and shoot.” She said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Another minute of focus to draw her ki to her hands. Her ears constantly searching for hints to his position. Before she could pinpoint him, the ki fired suddenly into the forest. All she heard was the shrill squawk of some unfortunate animal hit by the blast. She winced and rubbed her arm, an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.

“Whoops…”

Piccolo rose from the forest rubbing his temple, an exasperated sigh escaping him. Tarine’s tail coiled around her leg to make herself appear much smaller. An unnecessary defense mechanism she found herself repeating. Piccolo held his hand out to her. She dropped her metal hand in his while holding it out at arm’s length. He looked it over, tracing a finger over the burn marks on the metal palm. Tarine attempted to keep herself from getting shaky.

“This will take extra attention… hm. You’ve had to fend for yourself before, surely.” Piccolo started, looking up at her from under his brow.

“Yes. Before I came to this planet.” She nodded.

“I had a suspicion. Have you fired ki before?” He asked as he let go of her.

“No. I’ve never really used that attack before. I mostly stick to physical things. Claws and teeth.” She explained. Piccolo raised his brow at that, his antennae flexing in intrigue. Tarine averted her gaze, her ears fell under his eyes. "That's why I want to be formally trained… I'm just-" she took a breath, shoulders sagging, "I'm just a savage." He stiffened at that. Tarine already knew what face he was making. Disgust, fear, loathing. She recalled them as clear as the forest beneath them. 

“Stop acting so sorry for yourself.” 

Tarine froze, her tail so tight around her leg she could feel it losing circulation. The weights certainly weren’t helping her bloodflow. 

“Don’t dwell on the past. You’re improving.” He grasped her shoulder, grounding her back at the moment. Tarine’s eyes widened and her fists balled tightly. The touch was solid and firm, but not threatening. Unfamiliar. Slowly, she rested her hand gently on his. Her eyes refused to meet his. He removed his hand and cleared his throat, “come on. We’re going to meditate and get control of your ki.” 

Tarine silently nodded and watched him shoot off towards the plateau, catching her lost breath before following. She pushed her muddled stream of thoughts away to focus on her training. She didn’t need more distractions than she already had. 

Piccolo waited for her beside the river with his cape fluttering in the wind behind him. Tarine landed next to him and gripped her metal wrist. She couldn’t figure out what to say, or if she should say anything. Piccolo sat in the air with his legs folded, glancing at her.

“You can meditate wherever you’d like on the plateau. You can also take those off.” He informed her while pointing to the weights still clinging to her ankles. Tarine untied them and let them crash to the dirt kicking up dust. Already, she found a place where the river bent and pulled her legs up as she floated, crossing them and letting her tail rest on the dirt. She forced her eyes shut. Meditation was nothing new. Rare, maybe, but she’d done it at least twice before. 

Personally, not too enjoyable. Her mind began to empty and focus on the life around her. Grass, animals, the breath of the planet. Tarine waited for the place in her mind where she could grasp her ki. The babbling brook wasn’t helping her focus. Rather, it was starting to lull her to sleep. She was beginning to waver as she floated, nodding off. Active thought would ruin her meditation, but so would sleeping. Flattening her ears, she felt her tail thump the earth in annoyance.

_ This isn’t working too well… I need something that’ll keep me awake.  _ Tarine thought to herself. She raised her head, eyes springing open. A faint memory came to her of something that may help. She felt around her person and isolated a small box in her pocket. 

_ Huh, I’m surprised this is still intact.  _ She hummed, an amused whistle breaking their silence. Piccolo groaned with his eyes still shut.

“No noise.” He warned. Tarine flinched and cupped the box in her hands, taking the small buds off of it and stuffing them in her ears. The small screen had writing she couldn’t read and many function buttons. She hit play and straightened her back, re-regulating her breath and closing her eyes. Music began to play for her ears only. An enjoyable beat kept her mind awake until suddenly she could think no more.


	7. Mindless

The ragged breathing was the first thing to alarm Piccolo. The second thing was the jittery, inhuman movements she made when he turned to scold her for making noise again. His feet hit the dirt and drew her attention to him. Her eyes were empty, peering through him as she stepped closer. Her head twitched but the eyes never moved from his form.

“Tarine, what the hell are you doing?” He asked. No reply, instead she just stared and crouched slightly. A shimmer of power rippled over her form, but her ki was still hidden from him. She started to shift weight from each foot. Bobbing to a beat only she could hear. Piccolo tensed and clenched his teeth tightly. 

Before he could demand an answer from her, she lunged at him. Her claws caught his gi as he dodged the slash, making ribbons of the clothing. He could feel sweat beginning to bead on his brow. She turned to him, rising in a strange and smooth spin while brandishing her claws. The sun glinted off her metal arm as she flexed her fingers. Her tail dragged on the dirt telegraphing nothing, very unlike Tarine. He couldn’t read her at all.

“What in th-” Piccolo snatched her wrist as she tried to slash his face, twisting it behind her and pinning it to her back, “Tarine, get a hold of yourself!” She thrashed wildly. Her shrill shrieking made his ears ring and rattled his head, momentarily halting him. Her tail wrapped around his neck and squeezed as tightly as it could. Piccolo gripped her tail and attempted to pry it off, but the coil tightened more. He coughed the air left in his throat, but oxygen wasn’t a necessity. He feigned suffocating while mentally searching for his fr- for the Z fighters. A message needed to be delivered and fast.

_ “Everyone. I need your help. That woman, there’s something wrong with her. Hurry to the wasteland plateaus before she escapes.” _

Always thankful for the blessings of the old god of Earth. The charade wouldn’t last much longer, even in a mindless state she’d have to pick up that it wasn’t working. Soon she’d reach the snapping point and there was no guarantee she would stick around long after that. Just as he thought, his vertebrae snapped and the windpipe collapsed. He didn’t have to act any gagging now that blood filled his throat. She carried him until he went limp. Unamused, Tarine dropped him. Her tail swayed behind her as she turned to the horizon, right in the direction of detectable life.

Piccolo’s regeneration easily remedied his crushed throat. He watched the skies, slowly getting up as to not alert the twitching assailant. No sight of them yet, he had to keep her there. Tarine started trudging towards the cliff edge. She rose, enticed by the sea of insignificant life in the distance ripe for the reaping. Piccolo growled and stretched his Demon hand, whipping it at her and grabbing her ankle. An inquisitive noise escaped her as she looked down at her tether. She followed the arm to its owner and glared at him. 

“It’s going to take a lot more than that to kill me,” Piccolo grunted, standing and yanking her down to earth. She landed on her hands and knees. Her tail lashed wildly, pupils dilating like a feline. He didn’t like the hungry look she was giving him. Tarine threw her metal claws for his face. He ducked and jammed his free elbow into her stomach. She was barely phased. Her arm raised for another attack, but something caught her hand. Piccolo breathed a sigh of relief.

“What are you doing?” Gohan asked, restraining Tarine. She struggled and screamed, trying to kick at the new enemy. Her incoherent shrieks echoed through the valley.

“What’s wrong with her?” Goku asked, scratching his head. Piccolo studied the tears in his cape and shook his head. He had no open wounds, but blood had stained his gi.

“She just started attacking. I don’t know what provoked her.” He huffed. Gohan attempts a few different tests while keeping her held back. He noticed that her ears weren’t reacting to their voices as they would normally. He tilted his head and snapped his fingers by each side. Nothing.

“Hey, there’s something in her ears. Can you get them out, Dad?” Gohan pointed out, tightening the hold. Tarine watched Goku approach and writhed, growling at him and flinging her tail in his direction. He grabbed it and disabled the attack with ease. Piccolo tilted his head but stayed back.

“Are these earbuds?” He mused with a tilt to his head, holding the small black machines in his hand. Gohan nodded and took them. He held it near his ear and recoiled at the loud and discordant music spilling from them. Without the noise, Tarine stopped thrashing. She hung limply in Gohan’s stranglehold and looked at him curiously

“Uh… did I fall asleep?” Tarine asked while getting her legs properly under her. All eyes were on her, guards remaining high and Gohan’s arms hesitant to release her. She placed her hands on his arm and attempted a tug.

Piccolo and Goku frowned at her. Though Goku just seemed concerned, Piccolo was disappointed with the depths of his being. Tarine shrunk under his glare, her tail returning around her legs and her pointed ears falling in shame. Gohan finally let her go. He held the bleeding scratches on his arm and winces at them.

“I thought you weren’t brushed up on fighting,” Goku said, scratching his head. Tarine didn’t answer, instead just remaining confused. 

“I’m not.” Tarine insisted. 

“You seemed pretty practiced just now.” Gohan murmured, joining the other two in their guarded standing. Tarine stepped away from them. Piccolo raised a brow, the demeanor and presence Tarine just showed was suddenly gone without a trace. Her head down, eyes soft, no defense whatsoever. Piccolo grimaced, this had to be some kind of ruse.

“I was just meditating.” She said.

“You were attacking us. Stop lying.” Piccolo growled.

“I’m sorry, I don’t…”

“These were in your ears.” Gohan interrupted, stepping between her and Piccolo and placing the earbuds in her hand. She pockets them and whispers her thanks. Whether what she did could really be considered meditating was laughable. Piccolo shakes his head and turns to the Saiyans.

“I appreciate you two being so timely.” He said. Goku smiled wide and clapped his shoulder, shaking him a bit. Gohan took his other shoulder and did the same.

“Of course. Do you need us to stick around in case it happens again?” Gohan asked. Piccolo grabbed their wrists and forced them to stop. He stepped away and adjusted his cape before sighing.

“No, I can take care of it. You two can go home.” He said. They nodded and shot off to the city, splitting as they approached to hit their individual homes. Piccolo turned to Tarine, his gaze hardening again. Tarine could feel the sweat beading on her brow, dipping into a bow quickly.

“I’m increasing your training, effective immediately. You are far more advanced than you implied.”

“I-I swear I’m not…” Tarine protested.

“I’m not buying it. Now, hand those earbuds over. Music is forbidden during training.” Piccolo said, holding his hand out and flexing the fingers in a “gimme” motion. Tarine frowned as she looked at him. She hesitated but complied.

“I was hoping you’d forget about those…” Tarine sighed, dropping them in his hand.


	8. Punishment

Tarine ran up and down the ravine several times before she started to sweat, but she was not done with her laps. No, she had just scraped the surface. Piccolo burdened her with increasing amounts of reps, laps, weight, and the works. She was no longer in beginner mode, she was being punished by jumping immediately into intermediate territory. 

Tarine was ragged after the run, leaning on the rocks and trying to catch her breath. She fanned herself and watched the clouds while her legs ached like they never had before. Weights hugged her ankles, a feeling she had grown used to. The weight barely registered anymore, but she wasn’t going to let Piccolo know that. She slid to the ground and massaged her legs. There was a small hope in her that, while watching the clouds, Piccolo would return from wherever he had run off to. He told her to keep running until he got back, but his absence allowed her to take a break. Her tail twitched weakly beside her.

“Now would be a great time for music… ugh.” She grumbled, resting her chin on her hands. The cold of her metal arm was welcome and caused her to lull her eyes shut with a faint smile. The ravine was mostly silent. Any small noise echoed on the stone walls. Her body felt heavy. She tried to fight the laziness and get back up, but her legs wouldn’t respond. Instead, she slid onto her back and rested her eyes.

“Just 5 minutes…” She muttered to herself.

“You don’t have 5 minutes,” the grouchy voice of her mentor chided, “get up and keep running or I’ll start adding weight.” Tarine shot upright and darted her gaze around the empty air. He was still absent, but his voice sounded as if he was right next to her.

“How the hell?” She whispered. The jolt was all she needed to get out of the slump, luckily. Tempting him wasn’t a good idea, so she continued her laps. In the beginning, she would step around the obstacles but as she continued she was leaping over them and picking up pace. A smile found its way to her lips. Improvement was always a good feeling.

Piccolo finally returned hours after her break. Tarine was still running, as she was told. He dropped to the ground ahead of her and waited for her to stop in front of him. Bent and panting, she gave a short and half-hearted wave without a word.

“You listened,” Piccolo noted, impressed. Tarine nodded before dropping her head again. He took the weights off of her and gestured for her to follow. Tarine wobbled a moment before walking behind him. Piccolo led her through the forest, the shadows and slow pace was a gift of peace for listening… finally. Her tail trails the ground limply in her lack of energy. It knocked into rocks and crunched the fallen leaves. The treetops overhead nearly barren of their leaves in preparation for the approaching cold. Tarine thanked the earth for the chill, but her exertion still left her feeling overheated. It was a long trek in silence before Tarine finally collected herself enough to speak.

“So where are we headed?” She asked.

“It’s been a few weeks. They want to check on you.” Piccolo answered vaguely. Tarine gave a short scoff and flicked her ears. She didn’t know whether to laugh or demand a straight answer. Before she could ask for clarification, Piccolo shot into the air and sped off without looking back. Tarine huffed and followed after him, the wind whistling in her head and interrupting her train of thought.

The pair landed outside Tarine’s temporary home. Several members of the Z fighters already waited there, chatting quietly with each other. They were tense, standing around and shifting their weight anxiously. Tarine smirked to herself,  _ ‘These guys must have “tense” as their default setting.’ _

“About time. Lollygagging, were you?” Vegeta grumbled, arms folded and face downturned. 

“Just finished some training,” Tarine said as she bowed to them. He raised a brow at her but continued pulling the sour face he sported. It was hard to take her respectful gesture when she was speaking so casually. Tarine could recognize most of the fighters, she had seen them on her first day. But the others she had no recollection of.

“Good thing, then! We have a pretty serious bad guy coming!” Goku cheered, far too excited for what he just said. Tarine looked up at Piccolo and coiled her tail, ears falling.

“You think I’m ready for something serious?” She asked.

“Even if you aren’t, there’s only so much progress you can make without stakes.” He stated in his low monotone. Tarine pursed her lips and looked aside. She still didn’t think it was a good idea. Maybe she’d have to prove that to him. She puffed out her cheeks and looked over the group. They were all mountains of muscle with severe expressions. Even if she were more serious with her training, she didn’t think she’d ever compare to the absolute units. 

A rather broad man split from the sparse crowd stepped up to Tarine. Bald headed and dressed in loose clothes best suited for fighting. His three eyes scanned her carefully before he stuck his hand out. Tarine instinctively retreats at the sudden movement, eyeing his hand with suspicion.

“You’re Piccolo’s student, right? I’m Tien Shinhan.” He introduced himself. Tarine gulped at the pleasant demeanor that heavily contrasted his appearance.

“Ah… Hi. Tarine.” She said, hesitantly placing her metal hand in his for fear he might crush her fingers. He gives it a short shake and smiles. Tarine weakly returns the smile. A much shorter man with an array of dots on his forehead and similarly bald followed his lead and took her other hand and shaking more vigorously.

“I’m Krillin! You’ll be joining us in this fight, huh? You sure you’re ready for it?” He asked without giving her a second to process the information. She yanked her hand away from him and put them both behind her back.

“Piccolo seems to think so. What are we up against?” She asked, finding herself in a small circle with the two. The rest of the group had their own little conversation circles. Tension easing a bit as they waited. For what, she couldn’t tell. It must not be a very powerful enemy. Krillin rested his hands on his hips and turned his eyes upward in thought.

“We aren’t sure exactly, but we all felt it. Something strong is coming and it’s coming fast!”


	9. Assessment

The group of familiar faces allowed Piccolo to fall into some ease. Even if his student wasn’t prepared, they’d have more than enough power to hold off whatever was coming. He still had a nagging worry in the back of his mind. Why hadn’t he sensed it earlier? That alone worried him more than the projected power of the creature. His hand is stuck to his chin in deep thought, staring at the floor.

“Hm, it’s splitting apart,” Goku murmured as he watched the sky. Vegeta scoffed and rolled his eyes, half-turned away from the small ring of top fighters.

“I told you it was too strong to be an individual.” He said matter-of-factly. Goku shrugged and put his hands on his hips.

“Sorry I didn’t believe you.” He said. Piccolo shook his head at Vegeta’s unnecessarily harsh tone. They wouldn’t have much longer to talk. The presence finally arrived on Earth, the sight of a grand ship breaking the atmosphere. Dark metal and large windows, the ship hovered over the plateau before the bottom cracked open and opened like a gaping maw. The fighters stopped talking, watching the ship empty its contents onto the grass. Several aliens leaped from the craft and stared down the fighters as they reached the cliff looking over them. 

“Hm, this is Earth? It’s as pathetic as predicted.” The apparent leader chortled, sneering at them. Piccolo’s fists clenched immediately, gauging the individual ki between the invaders and singling out the one of least importance. Each of the frog-like humanoids was a different color. Green was the weakest, then purple, blue, red, and lastly the leader who was silver.

“And who are these insects? Hm?” Silver sneers, almost salivating at the very mention of food. Vegeta scoffed and lowered his head. Goku stepped forward and shifted instantly into Super Saiyan. His pitch hair flaring into a brilliant gold and flowing like flames on his head.

“We’re the ones who are going to stop you,” Goku answered, rolling his shoulders and cracking his knuckles. The frogs explode into a chorus of ribbiting laughter, their chests and throats inflating with their croaks. A few of the humans audibly groaned in disgust.

“Aw, defenders are ya? How cute. How about we have a game? Our best against your best.” Silver said. He gestured to the Green one who leaped down the cliff and puffed his chest out as large as he could. 

“Alright,” Goku said as he whipped around to point, “Tarine, you’re up!” She straightened quickly with an embarrassed flush turning her a deeper shade of red. She stepped forward, splitting from the group and standing across from the frog. Her tail is about to cut off circulation to her foot. Piccolo grimaced and folded his arms. She wasn’t being very convincing. The frogs seemed to believe it enough, or maybe they knew she wasn’t much either. Ki sensing was a rare ability outside the Z fighters and their returning enemies. It’d be a surprise if these newcomers could do it as well.

“Very well. Do your worst.” Green croaked, deflating his chest and squaring her up. Tarine gulped and crouched low to the ground. Her tail finally unraveled from her leg and swayed slowly behind her, balancing her out and preparing to strike. Better stance than before, Piccolo noted. Her rhythmic movement coursed through her muscles on a phantom tempo. 

After a beat, Green launched at Tarine with one long leg outstretched. Tarine ducked under the kick with ease and grabbed him with her tail, slamming him into the ground. He shook off the dirt and spat his tongue at her. She grabbed it with her metal arm and pulled on it, growling with her teeth bared.

_ “Feral…”  _ Piccolo mused with a slight lift to his brow. Green struggled to reclaim his tongue, wordlessly fuming. Tarine swung him by his tongue and tossed him against the cliff face. He landed in the grass with a heavy thud. He was shaky, but he stood. His head swam and he wobbled before he regained his bearings and hopped back to the battlefield. 

Now with some insight to her skill, Green adjusted his technique. Several punches were launched at incredible speed. They all landed on Tarine without her seeing them causing her to stagger. She raised her arms in defense but he threw hooks left and right, nailing her sides. Stumbling and losing her guard, Tarine took another step back and gave him the room he needed.

Green puffs out his chest again, leaping every which way without spending much time on the ground. Tarine watched him bound all over, unsure what to do with the new development. Piccolo watched as well, his eyes better trained for the speed at which the frog balloon traveled. Tarine started to lose its placement, slowly dropping her guard as her confusion grew.

“Pay attention!” Piccolo warned. Tarine flinched and raised her guard again, searching for the swiftly moving frog, but Green was too fast for her to see.

When she finally caught sight of him, it was too late. Green crashed into her from above, tangling her in his limbs and restraining her entirely. She struggled but couldn’t get anything out of the tangle. Green snickered, croaking laughter erupting from his crewmates as well. Green reeled back for a headbutt, grip tightening on her. Piccolo groaned and put his face in his hand. This wasn’t looking good.

Suddenly, Green started screaming. Piccolo raised his head to find Tarine had grabbed his legs with her metal arm and was applying intense force. The leg had changed colors already before it loudly snapped. She reached for his other leg. Green unraveled and slunk back with the useless appendage dragging limply behind him. Her tail lashed and her ears pressed to her skull. Piccolo smirked. She’s learned well.

“Alright, it seems you’re capable.” Silver muttered, directing his subordinates to take Green back to the ship.

“Who will your next fighter be, hm?” He said as Purple hopped forward to take Green’s place. Vegeta flared into Super Saiyan, his hair dancing in the same gold.

“Enough games, I’m ending this.”


	10. Cursory

Vegeta wasted no time. Ignoring the pleasantries and launching at Purple with his fist outstretched and pounding the poor amphibian to a pulp. Tarine grimaced at the sight, placing herself back within the group and turning to the nearest person. Tien’s three eyes blinked down at her as she looked up at him.

“Do you guys always fight like this?”

Before he responded he leaned down to her and spoke under his breath, “yeah. Goku gets upset when fights aren’t fair.” He said with an amused smile. Tarine knitted her brow and shook her head.

“It’s one weird thing after another…” Her metal hand rubbed her temple.

“It grows on you.” A little boy chimed. His pale-white face brightened with a wide grin. He dressed in similar garb to Tien but didn’t look much like him. A student maybe? Tarine couldn’t handle how cute he was.

“Aww tiny!”

There was a bit of argument ahead of her as Vegeta decided to pulverize more than his share and was forced to return to the sidelines as Goku took his turn against the leader. These fights were easy for more experienced combatants. Tarine rested her shoulder against her abode as she watched. They moved so fast it was hard for her to catch all of it. That seemed to be a theme in their fights. Speed. She would have to remember that for later. There was a pause and Goku stepped away from Silver who appeared near the end of his rope.

“You should give up,” Goku said as cheerful as ever, “and come back when you get better.” Tarine knit her brow at that. Why let them come back? Silver chuckled and wiped the blood from his lip. 

“You’re not the only ones with extra forms up their sleeve.” He croaked, cracking his knuckles and visibly wincing at his broken hand. Silver puffed out as big as he could possibly get before opening his mouth and inverting his whole body. Tarine gagged at the sight and looked away. Silver’s insides had a golden sheen and metallic appearance. The backs of his eyes were pure white. Soulless. He was pulsing and throbbing all over, dripping gastric acid and blood.

“Ew.” Goku stuck his tongue out, but crouched and appeared to be more serious. 

“That’s an understatement…” Tarine grumbled. 

“He’s definitely stronger now, but nothing like when they were arriving,” Piccolo hummed as he shook his head, “we overreacted… Stupid.” 

“How can you tell?” Tarine asked. Piccolo blinked in surprise before looking down at her. His surprise caught her off guard. Was she supposed to know this beforehand? He thought a moment, picking the right words.

“We’ve all trained ourselves to detect ki. Ki is the power people have. It’s like spirit, life-force. Energy. Everyone has it, but not everyone has a substantial amount of it. Once you’re aware of it, it’s easy to sense. But even if you can’t sense it, really powerful people will still radiate their strength. Those are the types of opponents that are probably too strong for you.” He explained as best as he could. Tarine nodded along but wasn’t super sure she understood. Piccolo seemed unsure as well, but he left it at that while the fight finished up. In his golden form, the frog captain was putting up a much better fight. The air flared around Goku as he powered up once more. Tarine could see the aura radiating around him, but she didn’t feel anything. She frowned. 

“There has to be more to it. Just feel?” Tarine asked, puffing out her cheeks.

“It requires a bit of special training. We’d have to train your ki before you can sense others.” Piccolo said. He lowered his head to his chest and closed his eyes in deep thought. His antennae wiggled and twitched as he did so. Tarine smirked at the sight. She watched until he looked up and she swiftly turned her attention to the fight past him.

Goku had already wiped out Silver who cowered away with the remains of his crew and shakily entered the ship. Goku remained powered up until the ship left the atmosphere and vanished off to wherever it came from. Tarine slanted her mouth, a little disappointed he was left alive.

“Looks like we’re clear everyone! Sorry to gather you all here for that false alarm!” He told everyone, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. The group seemed mostly unfazed by it, offering a few words to let him know it was okay before disbanding. Vegeta gave Goku a sour face but seemed to be debating whether he should yell at him. He huffed and flew off home anyway. Goku stepped up to Piccolo and Tarine, scuffed and dirty from his fight but uninjured.

“You did pretty well out there, Tarine.” He said as he clapped her shoulder. Tarine lurched as the force behind his hand nearly bowled her over.

“Thanks. It was kind of embarrassing compared to the other matches.” She nervously laughed, a light blush dusting her cheeks. 

“I think you deserve a treat. Let’s go eat!” He cheered. Tarine lifted her head in surprise. She hadn’t been treated to a meal since she got here. Or ever if she remembered correctly. She smiled and nodded quickly.

“Totally! Just lead the way,” Tarine waved her tail happily but paused, “oh, we don’t have any training today, do we?” Piccolo shook his head and turned to leave. His cape appeared on his shoulders once he was a fair distance away, catching the wind and fluttering behind him.

“Not at all. Enjoy your meal.” He said as he waved to them.

“Join us. Y’know, relax ‘n stuff?” Tarine added suddenly. She surprised herself with the involuntary, hasty request. Piccolo looked over his shoulder and offered her the faintest grin. More heat rose to Tarine’s cheeks and her eyes widened slightly. Seeing her reaction, Piccolo accompanied his ghost of a smile with a hushed, amused chuckle, and Tarine’s heart nearly leaped. She lowered her head, surprised at herself.

“You can go without me. I have something I need to do.” He said, stepping off the cliff edge and flying off to whatever he had planned.


	11. Analysis

The wind whipped past Piccolo’s ears as he traveled alone to West City. He scanned the passing buildings for the massive Capsule Corporation. If they were going to spend the rest of the day relaxing, he would prefer to be back home but he knew Bulma worked fast and he needed some answers. He landed and knocked on the door. A maid let him in with a curtsey.

“Where is Bulma?” He asked. The maid furrowed her brow, a little put off by him. If he hadn’t been around before, she wouldn’t bother to let him in. She stepped aside and pointed to the far hallway.

“In her lab.” She answered in a small voice. Piccolo quickly traversed the house to find her lab. Bulma strutted from desk to table in her lab coat with safety goggles on. Still working, it seemed. Piccolo knocked on the doorframe to announce his presence. Bulma jumped slightly and gave him an annoyed glare, pulling the goggles down to hang around her neck.

“At least you knocked this time.” She sighed.

“Did you find anything?” He asked as he stood behind her. She pursed her lips and pulled the earbuds out of some examining machine, placing them in a safe little box. She handled them with her bare hands. They weren’t dangerous by themselves.

“No, actually. There’s nothing even slightly abnormal about these things. Built like any other earbuds would be,” Bulma turns to a computer and opens one of several file folders, “the music player on the other hand is alien. I can’t read it and it’s being translated right now.” She showed him a few words that have been deciphered. 

Rip-, Achilles C-, ED-, something Waves, -ccata… They’re odd to see alone and Piccolo couldn’t begin to imagine what the context was. Bulma had the folders organized by the same tags the player had. Genres probably, but the folder titles still had to be deciphered.

“Just song titles, I’m pretty sure. Deciphering it is more a personal curiosity. Can I keep it ‘til that’s done?” She asked, poking around the files.

“I don’t care. She won’t be getting it back if it makes her rampage.” Piccolo said, watching the screen. Bulma nodded and tapped at the keys before turning to him. Looking past him and around the room with increasing confusion, she hummed curiously. Piccolo glanced behind him but found nothing out of place.

“What are you looking for?”

“Did you leave in the middle of training?”

“No. There was a battle. She won her fight and went to celebrate with Goku.” He said, waving the question off a bit. Bulma cocked a brow at him. She stood and followed Piccolo to the door, stopping him before he left the house.

“Why didn’t you celebrate with them?” She asked, folding her arms. Piccolo shrugged and took his arm back from her. He didn’t have a specific reason worth going into. It just seemed like a good idea to give her some space to relax. He didn’t have to be around her all the time. He shot off without a direct answer. Once above the city with buildings stretching far below him, Piccolo paused. There was nothing else on his schedule today. Levitating in place, he pressed his hand to his chin. 

What should he do? Normally he would just return home and meditate… but he could join Tarine and Goku. Why not just… relax? Not his preferred way to spend his time but it was all he could think of. He pinpointed Goku’s ki and flew in his direction.

Piccolo could hear their laughter as he approached the door to the Son household. He hesitated a bit when he reached out to knock. There was a hefty chance he would only ruin the fun they were clearly having. The urge to turn home welled up in him again, but he was adamant to keep it down. A small knock clicked through the door and caused a pause in their conversation. The door opened and Chichi looked up at the towering figure in the doorway. Chichi frowned and placed a hand on her hip. 

“What? Another invasion? He just got back!” She said with an annoyed huff. Piccolo could feel the sweat beading on his brow. He shook his head and shrugged off the hostility she radiated.

“I had finished with my plan and thought I’d join the celebration.” He hummed simply.

“Come on in, Piccolo! I’ll set a place for you!” Goku called from inside. Chichi seemed pleased with the subject of his visit and returned inside, allowing him to step in. Tarine waved at him with a wide grin. A half-eaten feast decorated the table, surely with Goku as the main perpetrator. Piccolo hung his cape on the back of a chair and took a seat. 

“What was the business you had to take care of?” She asked, enjoying her small portions. Piccolo shook his head.

“Nothing too interesting.” He waved off the question and quietly thanked Goku for the water he offered. Tarine frowned and gestured to the table.

“There’s plenty of food.” She said, sliding him one of the plates.

“Piccolo is Namekian, Tarine. He doesn’t eat,” Goku smiled and took the plate back before scarfing everything that was on it, “he just drinks water.” Piccolo nodded and quietly sipped away. Tarine lowered her head and pressed her lips together. Staying quiet and picking at her things. He recognized that little mannerism he had seen very often already. He felt something slither around his ankle and took his leg hostage. Bubbles erupted from his mouth as he drank and heat rose to his cheeks. The room turned to him and Goku snickered.

“Everything okay, there?” He asked. Piccolo cleared his throat and set his glass down. Slowly, he takes a napkin from the center of the table and wipes his mouth.

“It’s nothing, I just had to cough.” He lied. There was no real reason to, besides not embarrassing his pupil further. Tarine didn’t seem to notice that she had accidentally snagged him along with her retreating coil. Piccolo chuckled softly to himself and listened to the pair happily chatter away.


	12. Companions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look, this is gonna be a lame chapter. I am a bitch for cheesy romance tropes.

Tarine wavered as she spoke but she found herself growing warmer to the pair sitting with her. Goku and Piccolo added a lot of comfortable, easy-going atmosphere to the meal that her out-of-place-ness was completely forgotten. Tarine’s tail laid on the floor absolutely relaxed. Silently, she listened to the countless stories they had about each other. Spinning her spoon on the table, her ears flicking with curiosity. 

“I can’t believe you two are such good friends despite trying to kill each other.” Tarine mused. 

“Weirdly enough, that’s how almost all my friendships start! It’s the same with Tien, Vegeta, Yamcha…” Goku droned, counting off people on his fingers. Piccolo nodded with a short sigh.

“He attracts those kinds of people.” He sipped the water to punctuate. Tarine shook her head and snickered. She couldn’t wrap her head around befriending people like that. It seems to have worked out for him, though, so she can’t say much. Goku went on about the countless tournaments they competed in together. Tarine enjoyed hearing about them fighting together. She tilted her head and raised a finger to interject.

“Do you train together anymore?” 

“Haha, no… not much,” Goku muttered, scratching the back of his head with an embarrassed smile. 

“I have my methods and he has his own,” Piccolo said rather vaguely. Tarine frowned. She was hoping for a bit more information on that, but she’ll take what she can get.

“I would have loved to watch one of those tournaments. You have a lot of stories about them.” 

“They were huge deals!” Goku beamed, “And I met a lot of friends at each of them.” Goku continues to tell his stories, scarfing the remaining food as he does. Tarine’s ears flick when he raises his voice and she leans in when he describes the many interesting people he fought. She grows aware of the feeling of eyes on her. Piccolo is silent during the stories, instead, he was spending his time watching Tarine’s intense captivation with a ghosting smile. He loved watching her enthusiasm and wonder, chuckling to himself every time she lit up with excitement.

Tarine spotted a clock on the wall and stretched her arms over her head with a loud groan. The sudden noise from her drew everyone’s attention. It halted their conversation, but the interruption was needed. Piccolo noticed the darkness outside with stars beginning to freckle the sky. Tarine’s tail gave a lively wiggle behind her once she stood from her seat.

“Ah, it’s late. Thanks for the meal guys. I hope to spend time with you all again soon.” Tarine smiled, waving as she headed towards the door. Chi-chi seemed to have a similar idea, urging her and Piccolo to leave while hugging Goku around his neck. Tarine wished she could be so bold… but that was a thought better left behind. Even though it left jealousy in its tracks. Tarine and Piccolo could get the hint and they didn’t want to be around for what came next. The night air chilled Tarine to her bones. She wrapped her arms around herself with a giant shiver. 

“Are we training as usual tomorrow?” She asked, trying to fight a shiver. A pair of heavy weights hit her shoulders and caused her to squeak in confusion. She wobbled before she quickly caught herself and straightened back up. The thick, white cape laid on her shoulders, shielding her from the cold. Tarine grinned and bunched the cloth up by her face, reveling in the new warmth.

“Yes. At dawn.” Piccolo answered. 

“Good. Thank you.” Tarine added quietly. He didn’t address the gift. Tarine let it be and flew back home alongside him. Piccolo’s cape fluttered on the wind, hugging her shoulders to block the coming gales. Tarine couldn’t wipe the giddy grin off of her face, so she hid it in the fabric and gazed upon the world racing beneath her. She almost didn’t want to make it home. Just to enjoy the gesture and spend comfortable silence with him.

They reached home sooner than she’d expected. Standing outside her door, the pair hesitated. Tarine lifted his cape off her shoulders and reluctantly handed it back. Piccolo put it back in place and seemed just as uncertain as she was. Something was caught in his throat. Something he wanted to say or ask, but he lacked the words to put it together.

“Thank you again.” She said, her tail opening the door behind her. He silently nodded as they watched each other until the door clicked shut. If only she could be bolder.


End file.
